BEIJING May 7 (Reuters) - Four more people in China have
died from a new strain of bird flu, bringing to 31 the number of
deaths from the mysterious H7N9 virus, with the number of
infections rising by two to 129, according to Chinese health
authorities.

Among the deaths, two occurred in the eastern province of
Jiangsu; one was from eastern Zhejiang; while another was from
central Anhui, based on a Reuters analysis of the data provided
by Chinese health authorities on Monday.

The government did not provide more details of the victims.

Chinese health authorities said two new infections were
reported in the eastern coastal province of Fujian. The virus,
which was mostly concentrated in the region around the
commercial capital of Shanghai, spread to Fujian in late April.

The Geneva-based World Health Organization (WHO) has said it
has no evidence that the new strain of bird flu, which was first
detected in patients in China in March, is easily transmissible
between humans.

Chinese scientists have confirmed that the H7N9 strain has
been transmitted to humans from chickens. But the WHO has said
40 percent of people infected with H7N9 appear to have had no
contact with poultry.

The head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention said the current strain of bird flu cannot spark a
pandemic in its current form - but he added that there is no
guarantee it will not mutate and cause a serious pandemic.